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(No Model.) E. P. STODDARD .BALING PRESS.

No. 369,662. Patented Sept. 6, 1887.

UNITED STATES PATENT UrErcE.

FOWLER STODDARD, OF DAYTON,

OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE FARMERS BALlNG-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 369,662, datedSeptember 6, 1887.

Application tiled December 23,1886. Serial No. 222,393. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, E. FOWLER STODDARD, of Dayton, in the county ofMontgomery and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Baling-Presses, of

which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatically-retractingpitman and plunger in a baling-press. My improvement is adapted to bedriven by the vibratory travel of a lever, usually moved to and fro byhorsepower. The turning of the team occupies considerable time, and whenthe power of the team is employed to retractthe plunger 21 1 largeportion of the time is occupied by the travel to and fro of the plungeracross the opening into which the hay is fed to the action of theplunger. My invention secures the quick and automatical return of theplunger as soon as the vibratory pitman passes the central line of itstravel, thereby shortening the necessary distance of the travel of theteam and driving-lever, as well as lessening the period of plungerretraction, all of which is set forth in the accompanying drawings,making a part of this specification, in which-- Figure l is aperspective view of my improvement, with parts of the baling box brokenoff to show the construction. Fig. 2

is a topplan view of the same, with parts of the top of the box brokenoff. Fig. 3 is a top plan View of the oscillatorylever ordriving-tongue. Fig. 4is amodification of an adjustable retractilespring.

1 represents theloottoxn of a haybaling box;

2, the sides; 3, the top.

4 represents the opening in the top of the compressor-box, in whichstraw, hay, or other materials to be compressed are inserted.

6 represents the plunger.

7 represents a vibratory pitman, pivoted at one end, 8, to the plunger,and at the opposite end, 9, to a link, 10, which link is in turn pivotedto an oscillating bracket or drivingsupport, 11, the forks 13 beingpivoted between ears 14 15 of the bracket 11, 16 representing thepivotbolts. This bifurcation,

so as to have the forks 13 near the top and bottom of the bracket 11, isfor the purpose of strengthening the parts and lessening thestrain-thrusts on the journals of pivot 16, being nearer the base of thesupporting-pivot.

17 represents propelling-arms rigidly secured to the oscillating support11, the ends of which are beveled, so as to engage rcspectively andalternately against the sides of link 10, to drive forward the pitmanand plunger. The oscillatory lever or tongue is preferably made of twopieces, 18 and 19, provided with tenons 20, which engage in sockets inarm 22, which arm is rigidly attached to bracket 11.

I preferably make the parts ll, 14, 15, '17, and 22 of metal cast in onepiece.

23 represents the tie-rods; 24, a brace-rod formore rigidly attachingthe tongue to the driving device.

It will be seen that my plunger driving mechanism operates as alink-lever. which operation is especially advantageous for driving aplunger to compress elastic materials, such as straw, hay, shavings, &c.In the first part of the operation of compressing a charge ofmaterialsuch as hay-but little power is re quired for the maximum partof the compression, the power applied being gradually increasinglygreater as the charge is compressed, so in the operation of a link-leverthe power obtained is the least in the con niencement or at the point ofthe greatest detlection of the central pivot from the deadcenter line,and increasing proportionally as it is moved or driven up to the center,where it terminates; hence the employment of the link-lever with thepower applied by straightening the link as the plunger isdriven forwardis very advantageous in a hay-baler. When elastic material-such as dryhay-is compressed, the plunger will be automatically thrown back by theexpansion of the charge as soon as the axis of the central pivot or thepitman-link has passed the dead-center; but when the material is notelastic a retractile spring is employed upon the pitman 7 in thefollowing manner:

25 represents a spring compressioirrod. 26 represents brackets in whichthe same is sup ported and held in the proper planes for re eiprocation.v

27 represents a roller journaled in the fork of the compressing-rod 25.

28 represents a coiled spring, one end of which seats against the frontbracket, 26, and the other end against the pin 29. r

30 represents an offset or abutment formed in the baling-box, againstwhich the roller 27 strikes. As the pitman 7 is driven forward theroller 27 travels laterally across the abutment 30 in the path indicatedby dotted lines 31. As the pitman 7 moves in the arch ofa circle,driving the roller 27 across the box, the compressing-rod 25 moveslaterally up in its support 26, the pin 29 compressing the spring. Assoon as the central pivot, 9, has

passed the line or center a b, the spring commences to retract, and itthrows or draws the plunger rapidly back as the roller travels acrossthe remainder of its track 31, arriving at the opposite side of thebaling-box, ready to repeat its operation as the pitman is again drivenforward from the opposite side, as will presently be explained.

Mode of operation: I preferably employ horse-power to operate mybaling-plunger. The team is hitched to point 32 of the oscillatory leveror tongue. The parts are placed in position as shown in Fig. 2, the faceof the plunger being back of the line 4 of the feedopening in thebaling-box. resents the central line of draft at thestarting-point. Asthis line of the tongue or oscillatory lever is moved forward in thedirection of the dotted line a b one arm, 17, comes in contact with link10, and commences to straighten said link untilthepivot9 is brought inline with the pivots 8 and 16, as shown in dotted line i, Fig. 2, duringwhich movement the plunger 6 has passed from the position shown in fulllines, Fig. 2, to the position I shown in dotted lines 33. As soon aspivot 9 passes the central line, i, the force of the spring 28, or theelasticity of the charge driven forward by the plunger, will quicklyretract the plunger 6, pitman 7, and link 10, carrying it over to theopposite side of the box, bringing the pivot 9 to a position indicatedby the dotted lines In, at which time the team has moved to line 0 d,and is turned around to move the oscillatory lever in the oppositedirection, the reverse movement of which operates the link and pitman bythe contact of the opposite driving-arm 17 against the opposite side oflink 10, driving the plunger forward in the same manner as beforedescribed, except that the movement of the driving-arm, link, and pitmanis from the opposite side of the box.

It will be observed that the link 10 and pitman 7 are pivoted at eachend upon their respective journals. They are free to move ineitherdirection, according as the power is applied, and that when eitherarm 17 is in contact with link 10 there is a free space between theopposite side of link 10 and the opposing arm 17 and that as soon aspivot 9 has passed the dead-center, traveling in either direction, powerapplied to the plunger or to the pitman 7 by the spring operates tothrow the link quickly to the initial starting position, but on theopposite side of the baler; hence the plunger is automatically retractedin the operation of my baling device and exposes the feed-opening 4 forthe reception of the charge a much longer time than is possible withthis class of machines in which the plunger is re- The line efreptracted by power of the team, for not only is the time of retractionof the plunger lessened, but the feed-opening is exposed also during thetime occupied'in the turning about of the team as well. Thus myimprovement applies the power in a better manner and is also operated inbaling hay more rapidly than other devices hitherto applied for similarpurposes.

Fig. 4 shows a modification of the springsupport, so that its tensionmay be adjusted or released entirely when its use is not required. Thepitman 7 supports the cars 26, one of which is provided with a slot.represents through-bolts for securing arm 33 in any desired longitudinaladjustment to in; crease or decrease the tension of the spring.

The ordinary retainers to prevent undue expansion of a compressed chargein the balingbox are not shown; but of course it is desirable to usethem.

I claim 1. The combination, in a baling-press, of the reciprocatingplunger, the pitman hinged thereto, an oscillating support, link-armspivoted to the pitman'and to the oscillating support, and arms 17 onsaid support arranged at opposite sides of the link-arm and alternatelyoperating thereupon, substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a baling-press, of the plunger, the pitman hingedthereto, the oscillating support, the link-arm hinged to the pitman andto the support, and an oscillating lever rigidly secured to theoscillating support, and having driving-arms extending at opposite sidesof the link, substantially as described.

3. The combination, in a baling-press, of the plunger, the pitman, andthe link-arm hinged to each other, and the compressionarm andretracting-spring mounted on the pitman. with the oscillating supporthaving arms 17 extending at opposite sides of the link-arm andalternately operating thereupon, substantially as described.

4. In combination with the pitman, the baling-box provided with abutment30, the ears 26, compression-rod 25, carrying roller 27, the spring 28,and the pin 29, substantially as described.

5. In combination with the plunger, pitman, and link-arm 10, hinged toeach other, and the link-arm journaled to the driving support, thecompression rod and spring at tached to the pitman, and box,substantially as specified.

6. In combination with the pitman and plunger, the baling-box providedwith abutment 30, and the spring 28 and compressingrod 25, carryingroller 27 against and across said abutment, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

E. FOW'LER STODDARD.

Witnesses:

CHAS. J HALL, WM. W. WAGNER.

